SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Mao Asada of Japan topped the free skate on Saturday to capture her third world figure skating title.

Asada, who held a slim 1.42-point lead after the short program, under-rotated three jumps but finished with 216.69 points, 9.19 ahead 15-year-old Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia. Italy's Carolina Kostner, the 2012 world champion, took the bronze with 203.83 points despite only placing sixth in the free program.

American Gracie Gold was fifth followed by Ashley Wagner in seventh and Polina Edmunds eighth.

Asada, who finished sixth at the Sochi Olympics, also won the world championships in 2008 and 2010 and became the first Japanese three-time champion.

Skating to Sergei Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No. 2," Asada opened with her trademark triple axel but under-rotated that one as well as a triple flip and double loop, but she earned high style points after impressing the judges.

"I was able to control myself and I have done what I had to do," Asada said. "I was much more nervous than I was for the short program but the cheering from the fans was with me and made me relax."

Yuna Kim, the defending champion, has retired and Olympic gold medalist Adelina Sotnikova of Russia wasn't competing at the worlds.

Kostner fell on the triple toe loop and singled a pair of double jumps.

"I wish I could skate again and do better," Kostner said. "It was really hard. The jumps did not work how I wished but this is the sport, right?"

Lipnitskaia's major mistake was falling on a triple salchow but she completed six other triple jumps.

"It is a shame that I missed the salchow," Lipnitskaia said. "I didn't do it correctly, therefor I fell. In practice I struggled with it as well and for the next season, we need to fix it."

Anna Pogorilaya of Russia was fourth.

PHOTOS: SKATERS IN ACTION AT WORLDS

Italy's Carolina Kostner, who won bronze in Sochi, was second after the short program at the world championships. KAZUHIRO NOGI AFP/Getty Images

Japan's Tatsuki Machida, who was fifth at the Sochi Olympics, had the best score in the short program at the world figure skating championships in Saitama, Japan, on March 26. KAZUHIRO NOGI AFP/Getty Images

Aliona Savchenko (L) and Robin Szolkowy (R) of Germany perform their pairs free skating of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Japan. The German pair won the gold medal. KIMIMASA MAYAMA EPA